Publications

What I Wish I Had Known BEFORE I Presided in an Adult Victim Sexual Assault Case
Sexual assault cases present a unique challenge for the judiciary. They are unique in that they are beset with a myriad of deeply held stereotypes and misconceptions that can undermine the judicial process. To assist new judges, NJEP canvassed judges across the country who had attended NJEP programs to ask what these judges wished they had known before they presided in an adult victim sexual assault case, or a case of co-perpetrated sexual abuse and domestic violence. Judges Tell presents these judges' 25 points followed by commentary and sources.

This article explores gender bias among custody evaluators in all types of custody disputes, and the need for uniform evaluation instruments. Originally published in The Judges' Journal, Winter 2003, at 10.

A 15-point implementation plan to achieve gender fairness in the courts from the Gender Fairness Strategies Project and NJEP. This manual provides a guide to integrate and institutionalize strategies to address gender fairness and access in the courts.

This article explores problems women of color face at every level and in every aspect of the judicial system, as litigants, witnesses, defendants, employees, lawyers, and judges. The article summarizes concerns detailed in depth in NJEP's When Bias Compounds: Insuring Equal Justice for Women in the Courts curriculum. Trial Magazine, August 1999, at 21.

A compilation of readily-replicated steps taken by state courts nationwide in response to the recommendations of their task forces on gender bias in the courts, such as bench books, codes of conduct complaint procedures, implementation of gender-neutral language, and legislation in substantive law areas.

This article recounts recent cases in which judges imposed minimal sentences on wife beaters and murderers, the intense response of the communities in which these sentences were imposed, and the ways in which judicial selection, election, education, evaluation and discipline can be used to prevent recurrence of this type of gender bias. 58 Albany L. Rev. 1063 (1995)

The article illustrates the concept of the law as male by analogizing it to the medical community's treatment of the male body as the norm. It gives examples of how "male law" harms women and discusses the types of education needed to counter gender bias in the courts. 69 Chicago-Kent L. Rev. 397 (1993)

NJEP was the catalyst for a series of task forces to examine gender bias in court systems across the country. New Jersey was the first state to establish a Supreme Court Task Force on Women in the Courts. This article assesses the status of the New Jersey task force's recommendations and evaluates the task force’s impact on substantive judicial decision-making and the treatment of women in court environments. 12 Women’s Rts. L. Rep. 313 (1991)

This manual provides strategies for creating, implementing, and institutionalizing task forces on gender bias in the courts. It provides information on data collection, dissemination, how to implement and monitor reforms, and more.